Question: The following themes form the basis for

> The distribution center manager at Internet distributor Plastik Parts, Inc. wants to find a confidence interval for the average time required for an associate to fill an order for shipment. A sample of 25 orders is taken and the mean time was found to be

> A warehouse manager at Dock housing, Inc. maintains a large inventory of video games. The company’s database states that the mean value of the games in inventory is $50, with a standard deviation of $5. The manager is concerned about pilfering the more e

> The data in the Excel worksheet Prob. 6-13 in C06 Problem Data workbook shows the weight of a set of castings (in kilograms) being made in the Fillmore Metal-work foundry. Construct an Excel spread sheet to compute the mean and standard deviation using f

> The times for carrying out a blood test at Rivercreek Labs for 100 tests, found in the Prob. 6-12, in the C06 Problem Data workbook, were studied in order to better understand the process. Apply the Descriptive Statistics tool to compute summary statisti

> Use the data for Twenty-first Century Laundry for the weights of loads of clothes processed through their washing department in a week. (See Prob. 6-11 in the C06 Problem Data workbook.) a. Apply the Excel Descriptive Statistics tool to compute the mean,

> Genjeteye, Inc. makes aircraft engines. The mean time to failure has been found to be 100,000 hours and is exponentially distributed. a. What is the failure rate, l, per hour? b. What is the cumulative probability of failure after 10,000 hours or fewer

> A new production process at Fabulist, Inc. has two in-line stages. The probability of defective components being produced in stage 1 is 15 percent and 10 percent in stage 2. Assembled units that have defective components only from stage 1 OR only from st

> The process engineer at Siva Electronics is also trying to determine whether a newer, more costly design involving a gold alloy in a computer chip is more effective than the present, less expensive silicon design. She wants to obtain an effective output

> A quality analyst at Paint fast Manufacturing Co. wants to determine if a new paint formulation, used to paint parts for a customer’s assembly operation, will dry fast enough to meet the customer’s needs. The customer would prefer to obtain a high level

> At White Clay Pottery a kiln is used to bake ceramic pottery. The production manager wishes to determine the relationship between temperature and brittleness, so he takes measurements of the brittleness of test items versus the temperature of the oven. (

> Managing an integrated supply chain (ISC) is highly dependent on quality management practices. IBM, which considers the effective and efficient operation of its supply chain as a key factor in improving its competitiveness, has approached implementation

> The process engineer at Siva Electronics was trying to determine whether three suppliers would be equally capable of supplying the mounting boards for the new “gold plated” components that she was testing. The table found in the worksheet Prob. 6-23 in t

> Softshell, a software developer, is trying to determine if any of three potential subcontractors has better programmers in order to outsource a development project. The three subcontractors agreed to test 5 programmers, using a standardized test provided

> Rabbit foot Community Bank makes a large number of home equity loans each year. The vice president of loan administration wishes to determine if their time for paperwork processing is lower than the average time of their top competitor. Data for a sample

> The quality manager at Olivet Pharmaceutical Company is certifying a new process that must produce 95 percent (or better) good product before certification can be completed. A sample of 30 containers from the process line are tested, and 92 percent are f

> Global food supply chains consist of many processes. Bananas, for example, are grown on farms in South or Central America. At the farm, the growth and quality are monitored continuously, and samples are tested periodically. Once the bananas in a cluster

> The process for depositing a check at Better Banking, Inc. begins with the teller determining if the customer wants to receive any cash back. If not, the teller checks to see if the payee’s name is on the account, stamps the deposit slip, and gives the c

> You have most likely taken your car for service at an automobile dealership. Typical activities in servicing a customer’s automobile include making an appointment, meeting with a service advisor to discuss the service or problem, waiting for the work to

> Maintaining accuracy of books on the shelves in a college library is an important task. Consider the following problems that are often observed: Books are not placed in the correct shelf position, which includes those books that have been checked out an

> The process for filling a prescription at a pharmacy begins when a customer’s physician calls the pharmacy or the customer drops off a written prescription. Sometimes the customer needs to refill a prescription and if no refills remain, the pharmacist wi

> The process of making a batch of paint at Peter’s Paint Products (PPP) paint factory consists of the following steps: First the correct amount of raw materials must be mixed in the proper sequence. The operator must follow specified safety instructions.

> Gold Star Chili is a chain of chili restaurants in the greater Cincinnati area. Figure 5.8 shows a process based organization of the company. Three major value creation processes link the operation of the company to its customers and other stakeholders:

> Consider the following list of generic business processes. Identify each as a value-creation process or a support process. Then discuss the logical sequence that the value creation processes should follow. a. Invoice customers b. Manage information c.

> Easy Quality Solutions (EQS) is trying to design a handheld device targeted toward quality managers. They have surveyed a panel of quality managers and have found that the characteristics that are important to such managers are: speed, active memory, por

> Audrey’s Beauty Boutique started out with a mission of providing hair care, beauty treatment, and spa services to middle-income women. Angelina would like to move to a more upscale clientele, if possible. She has collected weekly data for the past two ye

> Richard’s Rapid Reservations (RRR.com) takes and processes reservations on land, sea, air, and even space travel and prides itself in being a “one-stop” service for adventure travel. Data in spreadsheet C03 Problem Data on the Student Companion Site show

> Versailles Sporting Goods is a family-owned regional sporting goods store located in a small Midwestern town, and competes with a larger nation sporting goods chain in a larger city about 40 miles away, as well as a local national retail “superstore” wit

> SportTee makes T-shirts for national sporting goods and retail chain stores. Sport Tee’s quality manager analyzed a random sample of 100 dissatisfied customers and found that 24 percent of them complained to the company; 75 percent of those who complaine

> A local franchise of the Williams Car Rental Company conducted a survey of customers to determine their perceptions of the importance of key product and service attributes as well as their perceptions of the company’s performance.74 The

> A logistics company surveyed its shipping customers. Using a scale of 1–5, with 5 being the highest, they obtained the following average ratings.

> Choose a product or service to illustrate how several definitions of quality can apply simulate

> A reader wrote to Business Week (July 9 & 16, 2007, p. 16) and noted: “Americans have switched from Detroit Big Three vehicles to Honda and Toyota vehicles not for visual design features but for durability, reliability, good fuel consumption, and low ful

> Wow! That State University video was really cool. It has lots of majors; it’s close to home so I can keep my job; and Mom and Dad loved it when they visited. I wish I could know what it’s really like to be a student at State. Hmmm, I think I’ll ask Mom a

> We noted that high quality is not necessarily related to price. Discuss this, drawing from your own knowledge and experience, and provide examples where this may and may not be true

> Discuss the importance of quality to the national interest of any country in the world. Given China’s emergence as a global economic power, of what importance do you believe that quality will play in their future?

> Discuss how either good or poor quality affects you personally as a consumer. For instance, describe experiences in which your expectations were met, exceeded, or not met when you purchased goods or services. Did your experience change your regard for th

> Thinking of the Kano model, should organizations pay the most attention to dissatisfies, satisfiers, or exciters/delighters? Defend your choice with appropriate examples. Would this depend on the type of industry or environment in which an organization c

> The five dimensions of service quality are important to such retail stores as Walmart and Target. Assuming that these represent key customer requirements, what things might these companies do in designing their stores and operations to ensure that they m

> What expectations might a typical e-commerce customer have for a website? How might this differ from a brick-and-mortar store?

> How might a college or university segment its customers? What specific needs might each of these customer groups have?

> Recall the AT&T customer–supplier model in Figure 3.2. For each of the following departments in a typical company, discuss who are their internal or external customers and suppliers. a. Operations b. Information Systems c. Human

> Can you describe a customer-focused organization similar to the City of Fort Collins or K&N Management’s restaurants with which you have had personal experience? What aspects of the organization impressed you the most?

> What implications might Deming’s Profound Knowledge have for Wall Street traders whose buying and selling behavior reacts somewhat wildly to daily news and government economic reports?

> Harbor Community College (HCC) offers a 2-year food service degree program. Students learn how to set up and manage food service operations in hotels, hospitals, schools, businesses, and so on. One of the most important courses is Food Service Sanitation

> Melissa Clare works for a software company as a technical support representative. Her duties include answering the telephone, providing information to customers, and troubleshooting technical problems. Her supervisor told her to be courteous and not to r

> In a videotape made in 1993, Deming related a story of an executive who spent an entire day flying from city to city, changing planes several times, because her company’s travel department received a cheaper fare than if she had taken a direct flight. Ho

> Discuss how Deming’s 14 Points can apply to an academic environment. How can learning and classroom performance be improved by applying Deming’s philosophy?

> Suggest ways that management can recognize the existence of fear in an organization. What strategies might managers use to deal with and eliminate fear?

> A team of quality professionals has suggested a revised version of Deming’s 14 Points “for the twenty first century,” as given in Table 2.4. Contrast these with Deming’s version in T

> Discuss the interrelationships among Deming’s 14 Points. How do they support each other? Why must they be viewed as a whole rather than separately?

> One of our former students who sews as a hobby observed that it’s often difficult to control thread tension (tightness versus slackness of the stitch) as the tension normally exhibits variation. She learned from experience that if she adjusts the tension

> List some examples of variation that you observe in your daily life. Would they be classified as common or special causes? How might they be reduced?

> Think of your experiences in a job that you have held. How might the principles and practices of quality management listed in Tables 2.2 and 2.3 be applied to improve this organization? Table 2.2: Table 2.3:

> Maggie is a night-shift staff pharmacist at a large hospital. Staff pharmacists work in the main pharmacy with limited patient and physician contact and spend much of their time on computers verifying orders and checking the medication counters. Collabor

> Review the Quality Profiles presented at the beginning of this chapter. List specific practices cited in these examples and how they support the quality management principles in Table 2.2. Table 2.2:

> Whose philosophy—Deming, Juan, or Crosby— resonates most with your thinking and experience? Explain why

> Think of a system with which you are familiar, such as your college, fraternity, or a student organization. What is the purpose of that system? What would it mean to optimize that system?

> Compare the Deming Chain Reaction (Figure 2.1) with which suggests the relationships between quality and profitability. Discuss the sim hilarities and differences. Which do you think is the better model, if you had to choose one to present to a senior

> How can you internalize and practice quality at a personal level in your daily activities?

> Choose an organization that you have read about or with which you have personal experience and describe their sources of competitive advantage. For each, state whether you believe that quality supports their strategy or does not support it

> In this chapter, we noted that much of the work performed in traditional manufacturing organizations now involve service. Provide some examples of this, drawing upon the functions

> What role has the Internet played in improving service quality? What barriers to service quality might it have?

> How are people and information technology used to improve service in your college or university?

> Cite some examples from your own experience in which you felt service quality was truly top-notch, and some in which it was not. What do you think might be some of the fundamental differences in the infrastructure and management practices of these organi

> Sandra Wilford was recently promoted to General Manager of the Golden Suites Hotel, San Diego. She had previously been an assistant manager at the corporation’s hotel in Denver. The Denver hotel was truly a team-based organization. Sandra had seen the be

> Select a service activity with which you are familiar. If you were the manager of this activity, what “conformance to specifications” criteria would you use to monitor it?

> Provide specific examples of how the differences between manufacturing and service organizations are evident in a school or a hospital.

> Provide some specific examples that illustrate how the three major themes cited in the American Society for Quality’s 2015 futures study are reflected in today’s business news.

> Consider the following views of quality: a. a strategic asset and competitive differentiator b. a proactive continuous improvement activity c. a tool to fix problems d. a risk mitigation activity e. a compliance activity How would you order these in

> What do you think are the most important lessons that managers can learn from studying the history of quality management?

> What definition of quality is implied by the following consumer advertisements? Explain your reasoning. a. An ad for Rosetta Stone language software that features dozens of languages, covers a range of five levels (beginning to advanced), provides live

> PC World Magazine changed its method of rating new products to base scores only on product performance, design, and features, dropping price as a criterion, although it will be clearly stated. Their reasoning was “When we used price as a criterion, high-

> Discuss how the factor of the frequency with which you anticipate using a product might impact the quality and price that you are willing to pay and how it relates to the value-based definition. Provide some examples to justify your reasoning.

> A top Ford executive stated “You can’t have great value unless you have great quality.” Comment on this statement. Do you agree? Why or why not?

> Think of a product or a service that you are considering purchasing. Develop a list of fitness-for-use criteria that are meaningful to you

> Christina worked at a retail store in a shopping mall. Her manager made the job quite stressful. She never had the schedule for the next week completed on time, so Christina and other employees were never able to plan adequately. They would say, “Well, i

> As we noted in the chapter, process items in the Baldrige Criteria are assessed on four dimensions: approach, deployment, learning, and integration. The following are opportunities for improvement that an examiner team identified in the Leadership Catego

> Discuss the implications of the Baldrige Criteria for e-commerce. What are the specific challenges that e-commerce companies face within each category of the criteria?

> Examine the questions in the Baldrige Criteria and discuss which ones relate to the concept of organizational sustainability as defined in this chapter? Why is sustainability an important issue in business?

> Create a matrix diagram in which each row is a category of the Baldrige Award criteria and four columns correspond to a level of organizational maturity with respect to quality: Traditional management practices Growing awareness of the importance of qua

> Discuss how the Baldrige Core Values and Concepts define a high-performance culture. How might they be used as a starting point for self-assessment, without actually answering the formal questions in the Baldrige Criteria?

> Refer to the example of how K&N Management addressed some of the questions in the Senior Leadership category of the Baldrige Criteria in this chapter. Explain what practices address each of the specific questions: a. How do senior leaders set your organ

> We introduced the Baldrige Core Values and Concepts in this chapter. Look back at Deming’s 14 Points and System of Profound Knowledge in Chapter 2, and discuss how Deming’s philosophy is reflected in the Core Values and Concepts.

> Obtain a copy of the current Baldrige Criteria. Examine the questions asked in the Criteria. Select what you believe are the “top 10” most difficult questions for an organization to answer and justify your reasoning.

> In 2012, the House Appropriations Committee of the U.S. Congress targeted dozens of federal programs for elimination to reduce the federal budget by at least $1.5 billion. Unfortunately, even though the portion of its budget that came from federal fundin

> Discuss how the Baldrige Core Values and Concepts (see Chapter 10) are reflected in each question of the Baldrige Criteria for Strategic Planning using the Baldrige Excellence Builder available in the Baldrige Materials folder on the Student Companion Si

> Carla works at a typical quick service restaurant (QSR). She is never involved in any problem-solving activities because the system dictates they must defer to managers when problems arise. In addition, she has never been asked to provide any input at th

> What are the core competencies of your school, college, or university? How are they leveraged from a strategic perspective?

> Propose three applications for each of the seven management and planning tools discussed in the chapter. You might consider some applications around school, such as in the classroom, studying for exams, and so on

> A Conference Board study found that CEOs identified the top global challenges they face as (1) improving human capital within their organizations, (2) improving operational excellence, and (3) enhancing innovation. Suggest some strategies that a typical

> Contrast the following vision statements in terms of their usefulness to an organization. a. To become the industry leader and achieve superior growth and market share. b. To become the best-managed electric utility in the United States and an excellen

> Try to match the following companies with their actual mission statement in question 2. Could you think of more appropriate mission statements for any of these organizations? a. Volvo b. AT&T c. The International Red Cross d. Caterpillar e. DHL World

> Examine the following mission statements. Do you think they have a true purpose or are they merely cosmetic devices because someone felt that no major organization can be seen without one?22 a. Our single focus will continue to be helping customers all

> The Johnson & Johnson credo was written in 1943 by its chairman Robert Wood Johnson: “We believe our first responsibility is to the doctors, nurses, and patients, to mothers and fathers, and all others who use our products and services. In meeting their

> The Six Sigma philosophy seeks to develop technical leadership through “Belt” training, then use it in team-based projects designed to improve processes. To what extent are these two concepts (technical experts versus team experts) at odds? What must be

> How can lean concepts be applied in a classroom?

> Discuss what would be the most appropriate tool to use to attack each of these problems: a. A copy machine suffers frequent paper jams and users are often confused as to how to fix the problem. b. The publication team for an engineering department want

> Jerome, his wife Sandy, and their two daughters were vacationing and visited a popular restaurant, Captain Mark’s Seafood Shack, that has several locations in the eastern United States. The hostess was friendly, and their table location was removed from

> Discuss how DMAIC might be used in your personal life. For example, how could you use it if you wanted to lose weight or improve a skill such as playing a musical instrument?

> List some of the common processes that a student performs. How can these processes be improved using a process improvement approach?